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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709388">Open Wounds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf'>Septic_wolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempt at Seriousness, Bruce and Dick have a heart to heart, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick's POV for most of it, Gen, Immortal!Bruce, Immortality, Mentions of Tim and Jason but they aren't present in this one, Secrets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:48:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He died tonight. <br/>Right in front of Dick. <br/>Surely that's got to do something to his mentor...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Open Wounds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You'll want to read the other two before you read this one...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dick believed that he knew Bruce best out of all the Robins. He’d been with the man since his third year as Batman, created a legacy of partners for Bruce to work within the hopes that the man wouldn’t die alone, ever. Though he wouldn’t say that had been his intent from the beginning. Jason appearing as Robin after he had left was a harsh reality that Dick hadn’t been prepared for. He’d treated Jason terribly, ignored him, and had refused to accept that Bruce would look to anyone else as his partner but him. <em>But now Jason was his brother. </em></p>
<p>            When Jason had died Dick was sure that Bruce would never get a Robin again. Then Tim came along, forced his way in, and captured not just Bruce, but Dick and Alfred as well. A boy who had almost as much passion for the mission as Bruce did. Tim had the energy and know-it-all attitude of a young new detective before he’d started up his caffeine addiction. Now Dick only wished the boy would get four hours of sleep three times a week at best.</p>
<p>            Bruce announcing to them that he was immortal, was almost an answered prayer to the eldest of the three boys. The news had almost made Dick joke about all the Vampire jokes that they’d been making about Bruce all those years being nearly accurate. But he wondered what that would now mean. Knowing Bruce, he wouldn’t be as cautious, he would put himself in more danger. More likely to take bullets. More likely to not be cautious with bombs if he was the only one in the room. Not sleeping as he likely wouldn’t die from it. The relief that he had first felt at the news was now a constant worry. The anxiety that festered and was starting to keep him awake in his already little sleep-filled life.</p>
<p>            He watched his father figure, mentor, friend work on the Batcomputer after a vigorous patrol. It had been penguin teaming up with Two-Face again, and he’d only wished that Bruce hadn’t gotten shot point-blank that night. The bullet had been meant for Dick, though he knew he could have gotten out of the way easily, Bruce still jumped in. If Tim hadn’t arrived when he had, Dick was sure that the villains would learn about the new indestructible nature of the bat. Causing them to go further crazy and adding on to even more panic. <em>Causing for the villain community to see if it was true. Was the big bad bat unkillable? </em></p>
<p>            “How are you feeling?” Dick knew that Bruce had died again that night. He’d felt the breath stop himself before almost a minute later breathing as if nothing had happened. Dick was sure that Bruce hadn’t thought the bullet would kill him as quickly as it did, but Dick almost felt himself panic at the idea that it would be the moment that Bruce’s immortality had a limit. That this was the death that would be permanent.</p>
<p>            Bruce turned away from him and clicked a few more buttons. “I’m fine.” Bruce’s curt and solid answer would have been enough for Dick when he’d been a Robin, but he knew better than to take that answer now. Bruce was drawn tight; his shoulders weren’t relaxed as they usually were when he was in the cave. Something spooked him about what happened tonight.</p>
<p>            “You seem tense.” Dick wandered closer, taking a seat on the bench next to the computer and grinned. It had been meant to relax Bruce, but it only seemed to make the older man turn away from him. “I know death and coming back to life must be weird for you, but you can talk to me about it.”</p>
<p>            Bruce shook his head. “It’s nothing. You should go to bed, Dick, you have to get back to Blüdhaven tomorrow morning.” It was true but Dick didn’t budge from his spot. Bruce was making the motions for shutting down the computer. For getting ready to strip the batsuit off and go to bed. <em>More of a habit at this point. </em>Dick wondered if that was a habit that would go away after a few years.</p>
<p>            Dick sighed and went to the locker room. He took off the Nightwing suit shivering from the Cave’s air. Bruce entered in after him but went to a different area of the room, where there were specific holders for the pieces of his suit. The young man nearly glanced over to see if the bullet hole was there if there even was one. <em>Did he still scar? </em>Silly question. Bruce obviously scared, he’d seen them himself. He glanced over.</p>
<p>            Bruce’s back was littered in cuts and scabs. Some were still harsh red and puffy against the white of Bruce’s skin. Glancing further down Dick winced at the sight of more scar tissue that is shown on Bruce’s legs. None of them were burn-marks, when Bruce turned around ready to put on his shirt, there was no bullet mark. There was no hint of the very thing that killed his mentor. <em>He didn’t get to keep the memory of death. </em>Not like Jason. Not like Clark. Not like the other heroes who went to another plane of existence only to return to them in a different state.</p>
<p>            “Photos last longer if you really care to know.” Bruce’s baritone voice carried over to Dick, making his cheeks flush and he bowed his head slightly.</p>
<p>            “Sorry.”</p>
<p>            After that Dick retreated upstairs after getting dressed. Bruce was walking slowly behind him, stuck in thought. Perhaps there was something that could have been said in that moment. The idea that Dick could be a comfort to his mentor. To his father figure. He nearly sighed.</p>
<p>            “Twelve times.” Dick paused just before the clock opening. He glanced back. Bruce was looking at him. “I’ve died twelve times exactly. I can’t remember the first, but… Alfred help me fill in the gaps. I…” Bruce leaned against the wall, held himself, seemingly almost shaking. Dick was <em>shocked. </em>Bruce had never opened himself up like this, to anyone. It was like Dick was looking at a man with an open wound, hoping that maybe Dick would have something to patch him up. Or at least put him out of his misery. “I should have died with them that night. Alfred… He said that there had been a hole in my jacket, the police hadn’t seen it, but he’d noticed it when he was tossing it in the trash. Kept it.” Bruce looked up then and Dick pretended he didn’t see the tears that were there.</p>
<p>            Instead, Dick wandered back down the stairs, leaned on the wall next to Bruce, and put a hand on the man's shoulder. They were silent until Bruce spoke again. “He gave it to me yesterday when Tim was at school. Said I deserved to know when I died the first time. I took it but… It was still stained. Blood doesn’t come out easy. I… I think it was mine, but I’m not sure.” The tears were leaking now but Dick didn’t try to bring attention to it. After all, Bruce would close up the moment he noticed. He wouldn’t open this wound again. Dick would be in the dark. “Tonight. I jump in front of that gun without thinking. I didn’t do it because I knew I wouldn’t die, but because… I can’t stand the thought of losing you or any of you.” Bruce ran a nervous hand through his hair. “If you had taken that bullet instead. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”</p>
<p>            Dick shook, hadn’t noticed till now, and wrapped a fist into the soft shirt that Bruce was wearing. <em>A black turtleneck. </em>“Bruce.” The older man looked at his eldest, tears still making soft tracks down his face. His unageing face. Dick didn’t want to think about that too hard. It was as if the man were permanently stuck in his mid-twenties. <em>How had none of them noticed that? </em>“I’m sorry that you had to find out about that. But… I’m glad Alfred was able to give you that closer.” Bruce nodded, wiping some of the tears from his face. <em>Stop thinking about the tears. </em></p>
<p>            Dick brought the man into a quick but reassuring hug. “I don’t like seeing you die, but… I’m glad it wasn’t intentional. I… I know you hate the thought of us dying, but seeing you die.” Dick took in a sharp breath, groaning at the tightness of the hug Bruce was now giving him. “Bruce that hurts us just as much. We are terrified that this spell or curse or whatever has a limit. We… We don’t want you to make rash decisions because you some invulnerability.” They pulled apart. Bruce looked Dick in the eye, and they stayed like that.</p>
<p>            Bruce seeming to look for something specific in Dick’s gaze. And when he found it, the softest smile overcame the man’s face. “We can research it. We’ll look to see if there’s a limit. Zatarra could probably help.” Dick smiled, happy in the fact that they were on the same page.</p>
<p>            “Yeah, we can call her tomorrow or something. I can come back this weekend and we can hit up any leads we find?” Bruce nodded, now ascending the stairs again. An arm over Dick’s shoulders.</p>
<p>            Behind his back Bruce clenched his fist, claws receding back. Blackish grey skin fading away back to white.            </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. </p>
<p>Things are getting interesting with Bruce and his newly discovered ability. Wonder what this means for the Bat family going forward! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've got something in the works that isn't Immortal!Bruce... Think you'd be interested in that? </p>
<p>Leave a kudos and comment as you stop by. I appreciate them and I typically always reply ^^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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